Paris Air Show: From hot air to heavy metal
- Published
In 1908, part of the Paris Motor Show was set aside for aircraft. But the first dedicated air show was held here at the Grand Palais in 1909, where 100,000 visitors and 380 exhibitors attended.
By 1926, the display of civilian aircraft began to outnumber military planes. Also, overseas manufacturers - mainly from the UK and Germany - began to showcase products in large numbers.
A Bleriot XII nestles under a Bleriot 125 on the Bleriot stand at the 1930 show. The foreground shows a SPAD 91 biplane.
The air show was held at the magnificent Grand Palais - this picture is from the 1934 event - until being relocated to Le Bourget airport on the outskirts of the city in 1953.
The Paris Air Show was suspended during the Second World War, and restarted again with this show in 1946.
This 1957 photograph of Le Bourget illustrates the growing scale of the show. With aircraft becoming ever-larger, holding the event under cover at the Grand Palais was not practical.
By 1969, private planes, helicopters and military aircraft were competing for space with supersonic Concorde jets.
In June 1973 a Tupolev TU-144 supersonic aircraft - Russia's answer to Concorde - stalled during a display and crashed, killing all six on board and nine people on the ground, as well as causing scores of injuries.
Airbus factories are spread across Europe, and the company needs a way to transport the parts. Here, the Beluga makes an appearance at the 1995 show.
The European-designed Eurofighter performs during the official opening day of the 46th air show in 2005.
But it was the Airbus A380 that was the star attraction at the 2005 show, where the super-jumbo made its first public flying display.
The air show is about more than just planes though. French President Francois Hollande (centre) was at the 2013 show, along with an Ariane 5 rocket.
- Published14 July 2014